Encouragement from Scripture
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4 NKJV
I hang up on the call and sighed. It was the umpteenth time I was having a discussion with this friend on a particular part of the Bible and she felt she couldn’t relate to what I was saying.
Have you ever shared a verse from the Bible or two with someone and the person made you feel that they would prefer a real-life story from you? It’s great to share an experience if you have one. But truth is that the Bible is not made up of fairytales and fictional characters as some would have us think. Rather the Bible is a collection of stories about real people with real problems who lived and walked this earth once.
Heaven and earth would pass away but God’s Word would forever remain (Matthew 24:35). One of my favourite verses in the Bible is Romans 15:4 which says “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”.
Not only are the stories real, but the selection of which stories to include was not by chance or by human design but rather by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
As such be encouraged by the faith of Abraham, the submission of Sarah, the patience of Job, the faith of Hannah, the bravery of Jael, the wisdom of Deborah, the bravery of Esther, the purity of Mary, the nobility of Joseph, etc. It was all put in there to encourage our hearts.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the Bible. Thank you for carefully choosing the stories so I could be encouraged by the life of these characters. I give you glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.
What is your most encouraging story in the Bible?
Comments (13)
I’m really inspired by the teaching…. My most encouraging story in the bible is the faith of Abraham and nobility of joseph…. These two really make impact in my life…
Thanks for sharing this message
You are welcome Mimi. The faith of Abraham is definitely one of my most encouraging stories in the Bible as well as the strength of Job. They are simply inspiring.
Thank you for the words of knowledge
You are always welcome Mike.
The “real-life-ness” of biblical stories is the reason why both the success and failures of particular Bible characters are recorded.
Say that again Dela, I totally agree.
(1) Is about the fall of a man. (2) Cain and Abel.
Very inspirational, thank you sue
You are welcome Abrefi
Thank you, for challenging me to study the Bible.
You couldn’t have stated it better Cecilia. It encourages me to study my Bible too.
Thanks for sharing sis.
Encouraging!
You are welcome Bel. It encourages my heart as well. We could all do with some encouragement for the year.